


Emptiness

by ArcadiosV (Mariannie)



Series: The Archives [3]
Category: Guild Wars 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Banter, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, selfdoubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27264880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mariannie/pseuds/ArcadiosV
Summary: The commander never slowed down, he never had doubts, never left anyone behind, always tried to find the best solution for everyone, and most of all, he didn’t have any weaknesses.So why was he hiding in her lab, having a breakdown?
Series: The Archives [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063736
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Emptiness

**Author's Note:**

> And here we are again.
> 
> Features an anxiety attack TM, (so please if this triggers you, just skip this fic, there will be others)  
> and some banter to break the tension towards the end.
> 
> This is largely taken from my own experience with anxiety attacks. It's different for everyone.  
> Comments are appreciated <3

The commander never slowed down, he never had doubts, never left anyone behind, always tried to find the best solution for everyone, and most of all, he didn’t have any weaknesses.

So when Taimi found him hiding behind a crate in her lab, making sounds as if he was choking on air, she was understandably surprised. He was intentionally hidden, it wasn’t just a coincidence. Taimi came here when she wanted to think, because no one else was here. And he wasn’t even supposed to be there. How had he snuck in?

He hadn’t noticed her, flinched violently when she put a hand on his shoulder, and she immediately pulled back. 

Was he hurt?

“Leave- I’m fine-” he hissed at her, unusually hostile. Verne wasn’t like that. He explained everything, tried to reason even with the most dangerous of people.

His reaction made her frown deeply. “Commander,” she kept her voice low, unsure what she was looking at. “You’re not fine. And that doesn’t take a genius to tell.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, and Taimi noticed tears escaping, watched them drip to the concrete floor of her lab. He looked like he wanted whatever was happening to be over, and he was shaking like a leaf. 

“It’ll go away soon-” he tried, forced himself to breathe properly, leaned his head back against the wall with it as he clenched his hands into fists. “You don’t have to see me like this, Taimi-”

There it was again, the normal somewhat gentle tone of the commander she knew. The tone that could turn cynical and sour, the tone that could sell a farmer two more cows… 

“What if I want to, huh?” she shot back, “What if I’m interested in whatever that just was. Are you sick?”

He gave her a smirk and shook his head. That was him. Smiling through pain, always a dumb joke on his lips. Sometimes he reminded her of Canach. Verne was a lot less bristly than the other sylvari, however. 

“No, I’m not sick.” his gentle tone stayed, it took on the one he used when he tried to explain things, when he tried to reason with people.

“Can sylvari even get sick?” Taimi wondered aloud and used to question to sit down next to him. For all she knew whatever had happened was gone now, and he was just sitting there, dealing with the aftermath of it.

“Of course we can.” 

Taimi shrugged. “But you aren’t? Please don’t lie to me.”

“It’s not a sickness.” He insisted. “I’ve been to a mender for this.”

“Oh.” Relief filled her at that. So he wasn’t lying after all. And still… “Commander…?”

He leaned back into the corner he had been sitting in, but put a hand on her shoulder, as if trying to calm her. 

“Hm?”

“I told you what was wrong with me… So…” She looked up at him, eyes curios. “Even if it isn’t a sickness-”

He was silent for a moment, worried his lips with his teeth, then nodded and took a deep breath, much easier than before. 

“Do you ever feel like you’re overwhelmed by everything that is thrown at you? Like you’re letting everyone down… as if you don’t deserve anything… fear the backlash of people you trust, your friends… others. Fear that you can’t live up to their expectations?”

Taimi blinked. “...all the time but-”

“Sometimes…” he almost whispered now, and she had to listen closely to catch his words. “...those thoughts get too much. It’s not always this bad. Just...sometimes.”

Her eyes widened when she realized what he was telling her. “Oh…” He gave her another weak smile and slowly got back to his feet.

“Sorry for using your lab as a hiding place.”

She shook her head. “That’s okay. Com- Verne-” She stood and grabbed his sleeve. “Tell me next time… when you come here. You don’t have to be alone.”

Verne stopped to look at her. “Thank you, Taimi.”

“I mean it!” she yelled in feigned anger. “All my equipment- It could get damaged.”

He snorted. “I’ll let you know next time… Sorry for yelling at you.”

“Already forgotten! Oh right, there’s this super heavy box on the crate over there, couuuuld you get that for me? Thanks.” She pointed to the location in question, and he gave her a questioning look before he retrieved the box.

It wasn’t heavy at all. “Are you sure that’s the box?”

“Yup.” 

“It feels empty.”

A laugh escaped her. “You really fell for that.”

He shook his head with a smile. “Oh I’ll get you back for that.”

“Please do, I want to know what you have in store against a literal genius, Commander!”

He kept shaking his head as he walked over to the gate. “You need some trees in here? Or perhaps… Oh, I know something.” with that he stepped through the gate and Taimi was left wondering what he had thought of.

“... No fair.” She pouted, then jumped with a scream as the empty box suddenly exploded into a dozen pink and purple shards with the remnants of a mirage mirror.

“You’re insane, Verne!” she yelled at the gate. 


End file.
